Pipelines
Iowa Regulators Approve Bakken Pipeline Permit
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The last state permit needed for a pipeline that will carry a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois was approved Thursday by Iowa utilities regulators, who also gave the Texas-based company authority to use eminent domain for land that property..
Companies Pioneer Pipeline Safety Leadership Program Focused On Accountability, Culture
Caterpillar, in collaboration with PipeLine Machinery International, Inc. (PLM) and an assembly of industry-leading companies, announces the Pipeline Safety Leadership Program, a first-of-its-kind training course specifically targeting pipeliners. The program aims to support the industry as it shift..
Minor Pipeline Provision In House Energy Bill
Federal agencies will have less of a chance to slow down applications for pipeline construction if the Senate passes the energy bill which cleared the House in December. The North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 (H.R. 8) passed the House by a vote of 249-174, which means it h..
Feds Funnel More Money to Eastern New Mexico Pipeline
CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) – The federal government is funneling another $2 million toward a pipeline project aimed at bringing billions of gallons of water a year to parts of eastern New Mexico. Members of the state’s congressional delegation announced the funding from the Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday...
Plan Could Divert Funds to Help Fund Lake Powell Pipeline
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A proposal in the Utah Legislature would greenlight the transfer of nearly $500 million dollars from transportation projects to water projects in a move that could funnel money to the proposed Lake Powell pipeline. The Utah Senate approved the measure on a 19-10 vote Friday, a..
Underground Construction Initiatives Highlight 2016 DC Docket
by Stephen Barlas Washington Editor Amendment Would Allow Tax-Exempt Bonds For WIFIA loans There are a couple of major underground construction initiatives circulating in Congress and regulatory agencies this year. But the prospect of an upcoming presidential election means that many bills, which ..
PLM’s 71H pipelayer
Pipeline Machinery Intl. 71H pipelayer has the support of Caterpillar®, the engineering expertise of Vanguard Equipment Inc. and Kress Corporation, thus the challenge was met to create a utility-capacity pipelayer in the Tier 4 Interim/EU Stage IIIB class, designed for lifting 60,000-lbs. and engine..
West Houston Water Pipeline Expansion
Between 2015 and 2019, the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA) plans to allocate $1.13 billion in bond funding toward the completion of West Houston water pipeline expansion projects, aimed to help the authority reach surface water usage goals mandated by the Harris-Galveston Subsid..
Michels Sets North American HDD Record
Michels Corporation utilized horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to drill beneath the Athabasca River in Canada and completed an industry milestone on Nov. 21. The 42-inch, 7,200-foot crossing was near Fort MacKay, about one-hour north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The 1.36-mile installation is a new..
2016 North American Pipeline Outlook
Underground Construction’s 2016 survey figures of oil and gas pipelines construction indicates 34,027 miles of pipelines are currently planned and under construction in North America. Of these, 21,412 miles represent projects in the engineering and design phase while 12,615 miles are in various stag..
FERC's Policy On ‘Cumulative’ Impact Of Pipeline Projects Faces Tests
FERC’s Cumulative Impact Policy The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued its long-awaited decision clearing a Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. project in Pennsylvania shale country after a federal court had forced the agency to revisit an environmental assessment FERC performed in 2012. The FERC ..
2015 International Pipeline Survey
Underground Construction, Pipeline & Gas Journal and Pipeline News’ 2015 international pipeline survey indicates 70,308 miles of pipeline are in various stages of construction or planned. Of these, 32,013 miles account for projects in the planning and engineering phase, while 38,295 miles are in var..
American Farm Bureau Federation backs more pipeline infrastructure
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has recently urged the construction of more crude oil pipelines in order to improve train service for farmers. Farmers contend crude oil shipments displace resources formerly reserved for grains – additional pipelines will keep railways available for corn a..
Pipelines: Predicting The Unpredictable
by Robert Carpenter, Editor In Chief First, the bad news. It’s been about 17 months since oil and gas prices started their freefall. Prices for oil seem to have stabilized – for now – while natural gas remains in flux. But reports of dramatic oversupply, historic storage levels, poor international..
Roberts Pipeline Announces New President
Roberts Pipeline has named Robert (Rob) Lyons as company president. Lyons brings more than 30 years of senior management and operational experience from the oil and gas industry. He has held multiple executive positions within Quanta Services, experiencing success driven by development of strategic ..
Business Shorts - October 2015
LMK Technologies On August 24, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) ruled in favor of LMK Technologies, declining institution of inter parts reviews on two petitions filed by BLD Services. The decisions were issued in IPR2015-00723 (Paper 7) and IPR2015-00721 ..
Sideline Specialty Equipment Merges With Cross Country Pipeline Supply Company
Cross Country Pipeline Supply (Cross Country), a leading equipment and supplies provider to the domestic oil and gas pipeline construction industry, announced that it has acquired Sideline Specialty Equipment (Sideline). Through the acquisition of Sideline, Cross Country has entered the Canadian mar..
Cat Pipelayers Feature Enhanced Performance
The Cat PL72, PL83 and PL87 Pipelayers – long the standard in the pipe-laying industry for powerful performance, reliability, and durability – feature an integrated, all-Cat power train with differential steering and an electronically controlled hydraulic system that places total control of lifting ..
FAA Considers Restrictions On Drones For Pipeline Surveillance
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is moving to restrict the use of pilotless drones, which are used by the pipeline industry for inspection of facilities in remote, mountainous areas. INGAA has taken issue with a proposed requirement limiting operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to s..
Cook Inlet Crossing And Best Choices
Crossing Cook Inlet is about deciding the best route and the best construction methods, while acknowledging that although the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, it’s not necessarily the best line. Beluga whale critical habitat, salmon fisheries, 40-foot boulders, 15-foot-tall..
PLM Unveils Newest Custom Carrier Solution – The PANTHER T12
PipeLine Machinery International (PLM) announces a new custom equipment solution to the pipeline industry – the PANTHER T12 by PRINOTH. As the latest innovation in a low ground pressure carrier crawler, the PANTHER T12 operates in off-road and various weather conditions offering exceptional performa..
ASCE to Recognize Dr. Tom Iseley as Distinguished Member
In October, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will recognize David Thomas (Tom) Iseley, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE for his contributions to the trenchless technology industry at ASCE’s 2015 Distinguished Member Induction Ceremony held during their Annual Convention, Oct. 11-14, in New Yo..
Pipelines Hope GOP or Courts Fix New Wetlands Rule
Republicans in Congress are working to pass legislation which would set aside a new EPA and Army Corps of Engineers joint rule to make it more expensive to build pipelines in areas containing streams and other small bodies of water. The new EPA rule would require pipelines – and anyone else wanting ..
Federal Court Ruling On Mercury Revives Gas-Electric Worries
A federal court decision allowing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward with a rule limiting mercury emissions from power plants has heightened concerns in some quarters about interstate pipeline infrastructure inadequacy.
Another HDD Intersect Record Set
A horizontal directional drilling (HDD) installation completed last summer under the Sabine River and nearby swamplands is believed to be the longest ever made at 11,065 feet.
New Logo Reflects Expanding Mission Of The Pipeline And Energy Expo
The Pipeline and Energy Expo has unveiled a new logo with brand standards to reflect the annual event’s focus on Oklahoma’s leadership role in a forward-thinking energy industry.
Williams Partners to expand Transco pipeline
Williams Partners LP, a Tulsa, OK-based company, announced recently that it has filed a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission application to expand its Transco natural gas pipeline for growing markets in northern Pennsylvania and along its main line from New Jersey through Alabama.
Enbridge's Line 9B reversal would equal more
With the National Energy Board continuing its hearings on Enbridge's proposal to reverse the flow of Line 9B, TDT Crews Ltd. is urging Ontarians to support the project because of the economic benefits and job opportunities Line 9B would bring to Ontario workers.
Major New Pipeline Safety Program Being Readied By PHMSA
The federal pipeline safety agency is opening up a new front in its efforts to improve gas and oil pipeline safety. The Integrity Verification Process (IVP) previewed this summer by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) would be an "add-on," and a very costly one at that, to the existing Integrity Management (IM) program which obligates pipelines to test segments in "high consequence areas (HCAs)." There are 18,000 miles of pipeline in HCAs.
Pipeline Construction & Energy Outlook
<em>Underground Construction</em> and <em>Pipeline & Gas Journal</em>’s pipeline construction survey indicates that 77,318 miles of pipelines around the world are in various stages of construction and planned. Of these, 33,205 represent projects in the planning and engineering phase and 44,113 are in various stages of construction.
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Texas A&M weighs underground transit plan with Elon Musk's Boring Co. to reduce campus traffic
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Wyo-Ben’s Max Gel, Max Bore HDD system boost drilling efficiency, performance
- Federal court halts permits for 32-mile Tennessee gas pipeline project
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- Leaking wastewater systems named top source of San Diego River contamination, study finds
- New Portable Welding System From Miller